• ABOUT
• EPISODES
• THE HOST
• THE CELEBRITIES
• THE ARTISTS
• WATCH NOW
• OFFICIAL SITE

DAVID SUZUKI

Surrounded by the sights and sounds of creatures at the orangutan pavilion at the Toronto Zoo, Dr. David Suzuki sits for three artists - an experience that he admits is somewhat unusual and challenging. For Suzuki it's hard to feel the eyes of three artists studying his face even now, after so much fame. A third generation Canadian with Japanese roots, and a child in British Columbia during the Second World War, his family and all families of Japanese heritage lost their livelihoods and freedom when they were forced to live in internment camps. He was made to feel ashamed of his Japanese features, but he is overwhelmed with surprise and delight when the portraits are unveiled, and finds that these artists have reached back in history and even mythology to capture the heroic spirit they see in him.

MARY WALSH

Mary Walsh is Canada's own answer to a Marvel comic heroine, dressed up in her Warrior Princess garb, taking on the bad guys in positions of power. But when it comes to posing for Star Portraits, this veteran comedienne chooses a community kitchen in the same inner city church where she and fellow members of the comic troupe CODCO cut their teeth on a stage in Toronto, back in 1974. And when one of the portrait artists works the old church's stained glass into her portrait, even Mary is surprised at how much it touches her.

REX HARRINGTON

He may just be the greatest leading man this country has ever produced. Retired ballet star Rex Harrington strikes a pose for three artists in his own living room, sharing reminiscences of two decades of performances with some of the world's top female ballet dancers and sharing some of the childhood struggles that shaped his later life, all while sharing the couch with his beloved dog Measha – a decision that leads to surprising results in the portraits.

LAUREN WOOLSTENCROFT

Lauren Woolstencroft, Paralympic alpine skier, did something at the winter games of 2010 unmatched by any other Canadian athlete – she won five gold medals. Now, three artists come together in a cozy chalet setting to paint her portrait and she brings along her five gold medals! Lauren is a triple amputee, born without a left arm below the elbow or legs below the knees, yet she flies down ski hills at 130 kilometers an hour and holds world records. When our artists capture her image on canvas, who and what do they see?

GORDON PINSENT

Gordon Pinsent, a lion in the Canadian artistic community, and a portrait painter himself, chooses to sit for Star Portraits in the Hart House Theatre at University of Toronto, because it's a place where his dear departed wife, Charmion, used to perform. The three artists are wildly diverse in their styles and technique, but are all profoundly moved by his stories and gentle warmth as he speaks of his wife, his beloved Newfoundland, and his own drive to keep performing, even as he turns 80. And when it comes to painting his portrait, these three artists display through their diverse works the surprisingly personal way that he has affected them.

CRAIG KIELBURGER

Children's rights activist and founder of Free the Children, Craig Kielburger began a crusade against child labour and child slavery when he himself was only 12 years old. It's been a fulltime passion ever since, leading him to fly into developing countries around the world on a steady basis, where Free the Children has built and helps run over 650 schools. So he practically lives in airports, and that's why when he sits for the artists on Star Portraits, he chooses the International Arrivals Lounge at Toronto's Pearson International Airport for his location. Three-time nominee for the Nobel Peace Prize, recipient of the Order of Canada at the age of 23, Craig has the artists spellbound with his moving stories of social injustice and his passion for change.

TANYA KIM

She's the pop culture princess, one of the most recognizable faces on Canadian television and co-host of eTalk, but there's more to Tanya Kim than the glamour and glitz of reporting on red carpets. Star Portraits shows another side. Tanya was born and raised in a Korean immigrant family in Sault Ste. Marie, one of few Asian families in the blue-collar Ontario town. It was classical training in piano and ballet that defined her upbringing. Tanya shares her secrets to balancing her life, between pop culture and high culture, between Hollywood and her Korean roots, and between designer dresses on the red carpet, and jeans and Ts and life with her significant other – her bullmastiff, Miss Louise.

JIM CUDDY

Artists Paul Wyse, Stev'nn Hall and Gwendolyn Healey capture the heartbreak kid - singer/song-writer of Blue Rodeo, Jim Cuddy - as he poses for his portrait.

JEANNE BEKER

Jeanne Beker is one of Canada's great success stories and most prolific exports, the one who brought the exclusive world of high fashion to television. She's now best known for hosting FashionTelevision, the programme and channel, which is shown around the world. To Jeanne, the essence of fashion is costume. Her first love is theatre and Jeanne loves the transformative power of clothes for a stage character. Fashion, like a costume, can create a new image or character, and is fundamentally playful. So when Star Portraits does a sitting with Jeanne, she wants to be surrounded by theatrical costumes, to remind us that that's how she views fashion. We find a storage company that stores the Baroque theatrically costumes of the Opera Atelier theatre company in Toronto.